Why are you not active in your elementary school's parent organization?

[Anonymous]

I am trying to figure this out, since parent engagement is notoriously difficult. What is preventing you? Is it that events are of no interest to you? Is it that events are held at times that are inconvenient for you? Is it that you just don't feel that that kind of engagement is important?

I am talking about events at all times. Some people can't make morning meetings. Some people can't make evening meetings. Some people don't care about anything beyond their own child's classroom but are very involved there. Some people feel that it's enough to just send a check and leave it at that. Some people donate $0 but a lot of time. Some people donate $0 and also 0 time.

What is stopping you?

[Anonymous]

No interest, not a joiner. I'm happy to write you a check, but it's not clear to me that "parent engagement" per se improves the school. If there's a specific thing you want me to do (like clean up the school yard, take a role in a fundraiser) I'm likely to pitch in. But just "be involved" for the sake of being involved? No.

[Anonymous]

A NPR story on the radio featuring this article:

http://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2014/12/16/54797/pasadena-schools-experiment-with-charlas-to-help-students-by-coaching-their-parents/

"“We found that most forms of parental involvement yield no benefit to children’s test scores or grades regardless of their racial or ethnic background or socioeconomic status.”
Robinson found traditional activities like attending PTA meetings didn’t help.
But he said a few things can make a difference.
“The list of what consistently works is pretty short. That would be expecting your child to go to college, regularly discussing activities that your child engages in at school and requesting a particular teacher for your child,” he said."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No interest, not a joiner. I'm happy to write you a check, but it's not clear to me that "parent engagement" per se improves the school. If there's a specific thing you want me to do (like clean up the school yard, take a role in a fundraiser) I'm likely to pitch in. But just "be involved" for the sake of being involved? No.

Those are the sorts of things that I am talking about.

We send out notices all the time about fundraising and volunteering for specific things at specific times for specific reasons, and parent involvement remains very low.

As for the "involvement for the sake of being involved" I think that things like community building events (restaurant nights, school festivals, etc.) are important for making everyone (including students) feel good about the school. Yet engagement remains low.

[Anonymous]

I am active in our WOTP PTA- but I do think they could get even more people involved if they set out some options at the beginning of the year. There's a lot of stuff you can do from your computer at work, there's stuff you can do at night, the morning, once a year for a few hours, by yourself, with others etc. Basically, there's something for every interest and personality type, but you would have no idea based on the way it's marketed.

[Anonymous]

Don't like the parents trying to make everything a competition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No interest, not a joiner. I'm happy to write you a check, but it's not clear to me that "parent engagement" per se improves the school. If there's a specific thing you want me to do (like clean up the school yard, take a role in a fundraiser) I'm likely to pitch in. But just "be involved" for the sake of being involved? No.

Those are the sorts of things that I am talking about.

We send out notices all the time about fundraising and volunteering for specific things at specific times for specific reasons, and parent involvement remains very low.

As for the "involvement for the sake of being involved" I think that things like community building events (restaurant nights, school festivals, etc.) are important for making everyone (including students) feel good about the school. Yet engagement remains low.

Well those two things are connected. If I get the sense that the PTA is a social club into "community building" rather than substance, then I might be likely to shy away from your volunteer projects because they seem cliquish or make-work. I will write you a check, provided there are very tangible benefits the money goes for, such as classroom aides.

[Anonymous]

My parents weren't joiners, I am not a joiner. I see the school's job as educating the kids. My responsibility is to make sure my kid is doing what is expecting of them, behaving etc.

I hate auctions etc., all the other nonsense. I will write a check if necessary but really I don't think the parents should have to pay beyond what they do through the tax system.

[Anonymous]

I don't have enough time. I would rather spend that time playing directly with my child than doing some fundraiser, meeting, etc. I feel it's more beneficial to my children than the time I would spend on PTA activities.

[Anonymous]

My kids are older, but durign elementary school I was very involved when my oldest was 3 and 4 (chaired school's auction 2 years in a row as well as an active PTO committee).

By the time my DC2 enrolled we no longer had a nanny (both kids in school) and things got busier at work and home (sports, music lessons).

We turned into check writers and occasional helping hands at an event others planned. At our charter donations were made to the school - nothing passed through the PTO - so it would have been impossible for the 'active parents' to know we were contributing at all.

New parents always have the most energy - and god bless them for it. I know I did my time when I was a new parent and it was nice that others took the reins.

I'm sure the parents of younger people thought I did 'nothing' although the school administrators knew otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A NPR story on the radio featuring this article:

http://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2014/12/16/54797/pasadena-schools-experiment-with-charlas-to-help-students-by-coaching-their-parents/

"“We found that most forms of parental involvement yield no benefit to children’s test scores or grades regardless of their racial or ethnic background or socioeconomic status.”
Robinson found traditional activities like attending PTA meetings didn’t help.
But he said a few things can make a difference.
“The list of what consistently works is pretty short. That would be expecting your child to go to college, regularly discussing activities that your child engages in at school and requesting a particular teacher for your child,” he said."

Really? So they extra teachers, books, resources and specialists that the PTA pays for don't help?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A NPR story on the radio featuring this article:

http://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2014/12/16/54797/pasadena-schools-experiment-with-charlas-to-help-students-by-coaching-their-parents/

"“We found that most forms of parental involvement yield no benefit to children’s test scores or grades regardless of their racial or ethnic background or socioeconomic status.”
Robinson found traditional activities like attending PTA meetings didn’t help.
But he said a few things can make a difference.
“The list of what consistently works is pretty short. That would be expecting your child to go to college, regularly discussing activities that your child engages in at school and requesting a particular teacher for your child,” he said."

Really? So they extra teachers, books, resources and specialists that the PTA pays for don't help?

Aristotle did fine without all of that and I have not seen extra teachers rain from the sky due to the PTA's spaghetti fund raiser.

[Anonymous]

I don't have time. I have a super stressful high energy job that once I am off for the evening, I'm home and staying home. I would be happy to help if there was something I could do from my desk, during my lunch break.

[Anonymous]

I am involved in my PTA but here are a few things I notice.

Meetings are usually held at the end of the day. I do not have childcare and often have to miss things because of this. If I do attend, my kids are probably making a lot of noise and asking me when we can go home- so I am extremely embarrassed by their behavior. Inevitably, I leave early and can't make the next event.

Morning meetings don't work either. Basically, we are all extremely busy. Most of us have families with two working parents. We are trying to find a balance for our children and its really hard to commit to anything on evenings and weekends- even if it is school related and we really want to be involved.

Also- I like to help, but often don't know exactly what I am needed for or what authority I have. If I am given a specific task with control over that task- great. If I am just told to sign up to help its tough... because I don't know if I will be able to follow through with the commitment.

[Anonymous]

Another thing... as soon as you start to do anything for PTA you get asked if you want to be President. I am all for helping if/when I can.. but I don't want to be pressured into a position I don't feel like I have the time or qualifications for.